Hadid lamented she did not 'deeply think about' the claim she shared 'prior to reposting'
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Model Gigi Hadid apologized after receiving a wave of backlash for sharing a claim about the conflict in Gaza she admits she did not fact check.
"The post is no longer available to view, but according to the New York Post and other publications, it accused the Israeli state of a number of crimes against Palestinian children before Hamas’ October 7 terrorist attack," Metro.uk reported Tuesday.
The New York Post reported on Monday morning that Hadid had claimed Israel was "the only country in the world that keeps children as prisoners of war" and is responsible for "abduction, rape, humiliation, torture, murder of Palestinians years and years before Oct. 7, 2023."
She has since apologized with a lengthy, 2-page post on her Instagram to her 79.1 million followers, noting that, "As someone of Palestinian descent, the endless heartbreaking news and imagery coming out of Gaza has been painful and often overwhelming. It is important to me to share real stories about the hardships that Palestinians have endured and continue to endure, but this weekend I shared something that I did not fact-check or deeply think about prior to reposting."
Model Gigi Hadid faced backlash from the Israeli government for her statement on the conflict in Israel and Gaza. (Gigi Hadid image by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images, Israeli flag image by Thomas Banneyer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
She went on to elaborate on her alleged motivations for sharing this aforementioned post.
"I wanted to show the ways in which international law is being undermined by the Israeli government. In this case, I was trying to highlight how Palestinian children who are arrested by the IDF are often not given the same rights as an Israeli child accused of the same crime would," she wrote. "Unfortunately, I used the wrong example to make that point and I regret that."
She also voiced in very clear terms that targeting Jewish people in retaliation for the actions of the Israeli government is morally wrong.
"My focus was intended to be on human rights issues. That is why I also want to reiterate that attacking any human, which of course includes Jewish people, is NEVER OK," she wrote. "Taking innocent people hostage is NEVER OK. Harming someone BECAUSE they are Jewish is NEVER OK. It is wrong. To want freedom and humane treatment for Palestinians and to also want safety for Jewish people can both be important to the same person – including myself."
Israel's military says this photo shows its troops operating inside the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Nov. 5. (Israel Defense Forces via AP)
ISRAEL RECAPTURES AREAS NEAR THE GAZA STRIP OVERRUN BY HAMAS
After arguing that a "Palestinian child, even if he is accused of a horrific crime, deserves the same rights that an Israeli child would have under the same circumstances," Hadid claimed that there have indeed been some legitimate human rights violations by the Israeli government.
"It is well documented, by credible human rights organizations, that there has been systemic mistreatment of the Palestinian people by the government of Israel. I know these historical issues well because they are the history of my own family, Palestinians who were forced to flee their homeland in the late 1940s," she wrote. "At the same time, I understand that with the power of my platform comes a huge responsibility. I’m human and I make mistakes. But I also hold myself accountable for those mistakes."
After noting that she does not stand behind the "spreading of misinformation" or using the Free Palestine movement to justify antisemitism, she declared that she will "continue to pray" for the safe return of all hostages" and peace for "the people of Gaza and Israel."
Alexander Hall is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to
